Huckleberry Finn Questionnaire

1. Have you read the novel –Huck Finn- before?  If so where and why?

-I have not read Huck Finn before.

Answer either 2 or 3 depending on your answer to 1.

2. If you have not read Huck Finn before, surely you know something about the novel and character from references and allusions in popular culture.  What do you know about either the novel and/or character?

-(2) Just from references in pop culture and other literature classes I know that the book is considered vulgar and is banned in many schools because of its language and because of Huck being a deplorable main character. I’ve read Tom Sawyer as well so I know the general setting of the beginning of the novel.

3. What was your response to reading Huck Finn, and what do you remember from your reading?  Also, did you actually read the whole novel, or just parts of it?  Did you read Cliff Notes or Monarch Notes instead?

4. If you were assigned to read Huck Finn in a previous class, either here or in high school, how did your class as a whole react to the novel?  Why do you think your instructor assigned the novel?  How did he or she try to “teach” the novel?

-I think Huck Finn is assigned in classes because it shows a boy maturing through his experiences on the Mississippi and speaks out against racism.

5. If you were required to read Huck Finn in a previous class, what sort of assignments were you required to complete, and what exactly did you do during the classes when

Huck Finn was being discussed.

6. Huck Finn is still one of the most controversial and most banned books in America.  Why is it so controversial? 

-It is controversial for several reasons. On the surface it contains inappropriate language, using the N-word over 200 times.  Furthermore, Huck, as a main character, is not a good example to learn from as a protagonist, because of his racism in the much of the novel. Aside from Huck, many characters in the novel are morally detestable.

7. Is Huck Finn still relevant to you as college student today?  Should it continue to be taught in college classrooms?

-I think Huck Finn is still relevant in that the message it teaches about racism is still applicable in today’s society. And just because a book is antiquated doesn’t mean it can’t still teach valuable lessons. It should be continued to be taught in classrooms, not only because of the morals, but it is a unique experience to read a book written entirely in Huck’s dialect.

8.  The general consensus among critics is that Huck Finn is a brilliant and powerful novel, but also a flawed and problematic novel.  What do you think might be flawed and/or problematic about the novel?

-I think the ending of the novel is a bit of a cop-out. While the novel is well written, it seems to have no real direction for much of the book, other than south. While Huck and Jim might keep traveling down the river, they can only get further into territory where slavery is stronger. And if somehow they avoided any sort of real danger there, they’ll only end up at the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Mississippi. The book seems to be without a destination, and I think Twain realized that. Because he knew this, he wrote Tom in as a kind of deus ex machina to create and ending and resolve the story in some fashion.